There is growing community concern in central Australia about fracking activities in the region.

The public gallery was packed at the Alice Springs Town Council meeting last night with many people there to listen to a deputation by oil and gas giant Santos.

The company was there with a range of other gas industry representatives, who are in Alice Springs to talk to various stakeholders including the Central Land Council and Arid Lands Environment Centre about the use of hydraulic fracturing in the Red Centre.

The technique is used to extract natural gas by pumping water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to fracture rock layers deep within the earth.

Santos says it has been fracking in central Australia for more than two decades. There are currently 10 wells being fracked in the region.

Multiple councillors took the opportunity to ask Santos and the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association (APPEA) questions about the process, with concerns raised about water quality, local jobs and cheaper gas options.

Councillor Steve Brown says he is worried about the process of drilling through aquifers.

"The whole southern end of the Territory in particular relies on underground water, and obviously anything that could put that at risk is of concern," he said.

"I know what these guys are doing is a long way below the water levels, but through that transitional phase where it's going through the water containing aquifers, we have to be very certain that we are not in any way polluting those basins.

"I think the process looks pretty good, and I think it's basically making sure we've got the proper level of oversight on those operations."

A group wearing bilby hats and holding a sign reading 'bilbies against fracking' were in the gallery and laughing during parts of the deputation.

"The terms that they use like 'special chemicals that benefit the process', and then when they were pushed by Councillor Kudrenko as to whether or not they are hazardous they had to concede that they are hazardous," she said.

"So they're not being completely honest about the process.

"And the crazy thing about fracking is that they're not being made to prove it's safe, they're just saying it's safe."

Santos' general manager of unconventional resources and exploration, Colin Cruickshank, delivered the deputation on behalf of the company.

He says Santos has a strong and safe record of fracking across Australia.

"The basic processes are still exactly the same as it was 50 years ago," he said.